How to get your Security Deposit back!

Here is something that may surprise you: We cannot wait to give
you your security deposit back! The rates, descriptions, and
expectations set below are designed to guide you on how you can
maximize your Security Deposit return.

Please take the time to look at the information below and note
that it is not cheap to have us clean your
apartment; therefore, we don’t like spending our assets, nor
charging you for the costs we accrue.

We encourage you to clean your apartment thoroughly, it will
save you money! If you don’t want to take the risk on your own
cleaning or just don’t like cleaning, feel free to call the office
to have recommendations of professional cleaning crews that will be
much more affordable than you will find Royse & Brinkmeyer to
be. You can take the guesswork out the process by hiring one of our
recommended companies.

Please understand, we do not wish to clean your apartment
and charge you for it later. We would much rather you simply
return it to us in the same clean condition that you received it.
Our cleaning charges reflect both the direct and indirect
costs involved in restoring an apartment that is returned to us in
a dirty condition, including:

Assessment costs:
Inspecting the apartment and documenting the findings.

Management costs:
Administration of cleaning staff and functions.

Staffing costs:
Amount of time spent in the apartment, which often requires
overtime.

Bathrooms

Again, if you are concerned that you will not be able to return
the apartment back to us in the same condition in which you
received it, please make use of a professional cleaning service to
take care of that for you.

Charge Estimates for Insufficient Cleaning

Kitchen:

Medium

Heavy

Stove

$75

$150

Range Hood

$15

$30

Refrigerator

$50

$100

DW

$20

$40

Sink/countertops

$25

$50

Cabinets

$45

$90

Floors

$30

$75

Bathrooms:

Medium

Heavy

Tub

$45

$90

Toilet

$25

$45

Sink/countertops

$15

$25

Vanity

$15

$25

Mirrors

$15

$25

Floor

$25

$50

Other:

Item Cost

Blinds

$10/per*

Garage

$?

Fireplace

$?

Ceiling Fans

$15

Baseboard
Heaters/Trim

$30

Vacuum

$50

*If blinds are too dirty
to clean or they are damaged, they will be replaced at cost along
with $15/blind labor cost for installation.

Our
Expectations for Painting Conditions

Your walls will experience wear and tear each year that you
reside in the apartment. This is normal. It takes four years of
normal wear for your walls to need a full paint job after you move
out. If you live in your apartment for only one year, then we
expect that you have taken good care of the walls and that we will
merely need to “touch up” the walls.

A “touch up” means that there may be an occasional scuff mark
which needs painted. If we have to perform a full paint job on your
apartment after one year of residency, then you will be required to
pay for the costs.

Costs Breakdown for Painting

Touch Up

Partial

Full

0/1 Bed

No Charge

$100

$360

2 Bed

No Charge

$200

$670

3 Bed

No Charge

$300

$750

*Note: Painting charges will decrease by 25%
per year of residency (up to four years).

Difference between “wear and tear” and damage

It is important to note that wear and tear is different from
damage. Wear and tear is the unavoidable aging of the apartment, or
the realization by us that you have lived conscientiously and with
care in your home. Damage is another matter. It does not matter how
long you reside in the apartment, if you damage the walls, then you
will be billed the cost of repairing them. Here are the most common
ways we see walls damaged:

Door knobs bang into them

Furniture is moved and dents them

Smoke from candles or cigarettes covers them in a yellow
film

There is residue from adhesive stuck on them

Our
Expectations for Flooring Conditions

We expect to get at least seven years of life from carpeting
under normal conditions. We feel this is generous given that we
have a free vacuum cleaner “loaner” program (call the office for
information). We also obtain favorable rates for carpet cleaning
(which is the only standard deduction from your Security Deposit
and typically ranges from $70-140).

With that said, if you damage the carpeting which prevents it
from making it to it’s full life, you will pay for the damage
caused.

For example:

If you move into an apartment with a carpet one year
old, then live in the apartment for three years, the carpet now has
four years of wear. If it cannot be cleaned and must be replaced,
then we are responsible for 4/7 of the cost and you are responsible
for 3/7 of the cost. We do not feel it would be fair to charge you
the cost of a full carpet replacement, only the “additional cost”
that we’ve been forced to bear.

We also charge the following rates to remove flooring that has
been damaged before the end of its useful life:

1 Bedroom Apartment

$125

2 Bedroom Apartment

$175

3 Bedroom Apartment

$225

These charges cover the cost of our crews to remove all the
apartment interior doors, cut carpeting into manageable sections,
bind them together, haul to our trucks, and procure garbage
containers of adequate size to handle this much material.

Our
Expectations for Trash/Left Items Removal

Disposal of items you don’t want is a tricky thing, and can be
costly. However, leaving items behind becomes even
more costly. Not only will you be assessed the
costs for disposal of the items (see table below), you will also be
assessed charges if we have to take care of this for you. Please
don’t leave items you don’t want behind, it will save both of us
valuable time and money.

Small electronics (including TVs up to 32” screen)

$60.00*

TVs greater than 32”

$120.00*

General trash removal

Begins at $30.00**

*If you leave a TV by the dumpster, you will
also be charged.

**Rates go up based on labor and dumpster
space needed.

Have
Questions or Want to Dispute Your Security Deposit?

If you want to communicate any dispute or ask any questions
about your already remitted security deposit or charges, you must
do so in writing. Please send a letter via USPS addressed as
follows:

Phone calls will not be accepted in regards to disputes as the
information you seek has already been filed by the time you receive
your deposit in the mail and time must be taken to
look into it. All disputes or questions must be receiving in
writing.

Thank you!

We hope that the sections above will help you prepare for your
move. In our industry these two parts of apartment preparation are
the source of much confusion and frustration, or even complaints.
By establishing these specific guidelines and communication
opportunities, they don’t have to be this way.

We wish you the best on your future endeavors and hope you
choose to rent from us again!